1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is utilized in a technical field for stuffing contents into casings, and more particularly relates to a method and an device for automatically supplying casings to a stuffing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Casing used for stuffing a meat emulsion or the like have a hollow bar-shaped configuration in which an extremely long cylindrical film is folded with bellows formed in its longitudinal direction.
Conventionally, several types are known as an apparatus for supplying the aforementioned casings.
First, there is a type which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5899/1966 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,191,222). In this apparatus, a clamper, constituted by a pair of V-shaped members opposing the horizontally opposite sides of the casing at its predetermined fitting position, is disposed in such a manner as to be capable of moving horizontally into contact with and away from the casing. Disposed above one of these members is a hopper for accommodating a plurality of casings and causing the casings to be dropped and supplied one at a time to a horizontal receiving surface projecting forwardly at a bottom of a V-shaped groove in the one member through an opening at its bottom. A rotatable lever is disposed forwardly of the one member, and the supplied casing is prevented from falling from the receiving surface of the one member. The movement of the casing to a predetermined position is effected by the aforementioned pair of V-shaped members as they approach each other. At that time, the front edge of the bottom of the one V-shaped member holding the casing advances forwardly while pushing and rotating the lever. In conjunction with this movement, the lever is brought into position outside the range of its movement. Furthermore, a horizontal surface extending rearwardly at the upper portion of the V-shaped member closes the opening of the hopper, and receives an ensuing casing. Thus, when one casing is brought into position, a stuffing tube is inserted into the casing, and the two V-shaped members move away from each other and return to their original positions, and receive the ensuing casing dropped and supplied in the initial state.
As a second example, an apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 62170/1988 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,527) is known. With this known apparatus, there is provided a guide chute for setting a plurality of casings horizontally and arranging them in a vertical direction, a lower end of the guide chute being open. Disposed below the opening is a receiving plate with a space for one casing provided therebetween. There is also provided a pushing member for pushing out a lowermost casing positioned on the receiving plate, in a longitudinal direction of the casing, so as to move the same to a stuffing tube waiting outside. The casing fitted over the stuffing tube is brought to and set in another predetermined position for stuffing. In addition, this apparatus is provided with a conveyor with projections which constitutes a bottom of a hopper, and the plurality of casings are conveyed upwardly by the conveyor with protrusions and are supplied one at a time through an opening provided at an upper portion of the guide chute.
With the above-described known apparatus, however, the following problems are encountered in both cases.
First, with the first known example, at the time when the lowermost one of the plurality of casings stored in the hopper drops from the opening of the hopper onto the clamper, if there are variations in the outside diameter of the casings toward the large-diameter side, there are cases where the casings become jammed in the opening. Furthermore, at the time when the horizontal surface of the upper portion closes the opening at the bottom of the hopper while one of the V-shaped members of the clamper is advancing forwardly after receiving the casing, there are cases where an ensuing casing to which the weight of the multiplicity of casings stacked in the hopper is applied becomes damaged by being clamped by the clamper at the opening should there be variations in the outside diameter of the casings toward the small-diameter side. Thus, with this known apparatus, since the casings are moved and delivered to another location in a nonrestricted state, their movement becomes uncertain. For this reason, problems such as jamming and damaging result. In addition, the arrangement of the apparatus is complicated, and it is difficult to make adjustment for obviating the aforementioned problems.
Next, with the second known example, since the casing supplying apparatus is located in proximity to a forward end of the stuffing tube to which the casing has been supplied, stuffing cannot be effected at this position. In order to effect stuffing, it is necessary to either move the stuffing tube to another position orthogonal to its longitudinal direction or move the supplying apparatus in the same direction so as to remain on standby. This means that the stuffing tube to which the casing has been supplied cannot immediately start stuffing, so that the operating ratio of the stuffing device declines by that margin. Furthermore, a mechanism for moving the stuffing tube is required, so that the apparatus as a whole becomes considerably complicated and expensive. If the supplying apparatus is rotated instead of moving the stuffing tube, a situation can occur in which the arrangement of the casings inside the apparatus becomes disorderly.
In addition, the casing to be supplied to the stuffing tube is located at the lowermost position inside the guide chute, and can be damaged since it is sent out in the longitudinal direction while undergoing friction with the casing located immediately thereabove. Moreover, while the casing is being sent out, an ensuing casing is supported by partially abutting against a portion of the lowermost casing being sent out. However, since a remaining portion of the ensuing casing is subjected to the weight of the other casings from above without being supported, the ensuing casing is sometimes bent at that portion. Furthermore, although the casings are adapted to reach the opening at the lower end of the guide chute by virtue of their own weight, if there are variations in the outside diameter of the casings toward the large-diameter side, there are cases where the casings are jammed inside the guide chute. In order to rectify this problem, if a pressing force is applied to the casings from above, this can further aggravate the problem of the casings becoming damaged or bent at the time when the lowermost casing is sent out toward the stuffing tube. Moreover, this known apparatus requires a conveyer with protrusions, and the apparatus is therefore complicated.